Emily Brontë weaves a story of timeless love, eclipsed by pride, self-righteousness, and faithlessness, in her only novel Wuthering Heights. Narrated by Mr. Lockwood, an outsider to the remote English moors, the book follows Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from childhood to death, and documents the two as they attempt to overcome vanity, doubt, and misleading logic in order to be together. As their story comes to an end, the tale of a second generation begins. The remaining chapters of the novel are devoted to the telling of the story of a second generation, one that Brontë writes as unmistakably paralleling the original. This, as well as her direct style of story-telling, and persistent focus on the characters rather than the plot itself, marks Wuthering Heights as a unique and thought-provoking novel.

Though within this piece Brontë emphasizes human nature rather than human fault or action, Brontë carefully intertwines her opinions and values into the novel through recurring themes. Emily Brontë uses Catherine’s fierce independence and the consequences of Catherine’s strong personality, as a symbol of the penalties of not conforming to a strict society. Brontë’s work reflects the values of her times, and the lessons reinstated constantly to women in the early 1800s, but also takes a slightly feminist approach by including Heathcliff in this metaphor. Brontë’s appreciation of literature is also revealed in Wuthering Heights, as books are presented as a means of escaping the sinister control of human nature.

Wuthering Heights is a classic that all students should read in high school, or earlier. It displays people in a dark light, but also shows how an education can benefit both an individual and a society. This novel is unbiased by modern theories on the true tendencies of people, but offers its contents plainly. It provides the reader with a lovely story, but additionally many moral suggestions that would prove useful in shaping the ethics of young adults.